July Project Parade-Day 12

Good morning, it is Teresa.  I am luvin all the divas projects, aren't you?  I hope that you will play along with us, you know there is always prizes to be won!  I new as soon as I heard the theme this month what I wanted to do.  I do know people in the service, my Dad, other family members, and lots of people in our church have served and are still serving.  I help with doing care packages for them throughout the year.  I turned my attention to the men and woman whom I have done nothing for.

I have been wanting to donate cards to a wonderful organization, Operation Write Home.  This was the perfect timing and I must say that I kept these cards so simple because of the guidelines, but I am more proud of these than most of my other cards.  I really thought about who may receive one of these and there need to send  a note of love back home.  I hope whom ever will choose one of my cards to send home will see the effort I made to make it special!

As I mentioned there are some guidelines, it is super important that you take the time to read them in your effort to help.  You can read all about it here.  NO glitter is a huge guideline, you can read about that here.  The cards must be marked Operation Write Home on the back, I made labels on my computer.  Only A2 sized cards and the tuck of the envelopes are also important, you can read about that here and watch the video.  These ladies put forth a huge effort to stay organized and keep it uniform, lets help them help the men and woman in the service....true hero's!

I kept all of the cards similar, using Carolyn Gavin's designer paper from K & Company.  I chose it because of the fun patterns and wonderful colors, I wanted them to be light and cheery.  For the card on the left I used Always On My Mind, Blue Skies, and the tiny heart is from Wild Thing.  I used one of my favorite sketches from Jen d.  For the card on the right I used Blue Skies, Beautiful You, and Floral Whimsy, this sketch is from the Dirty Girl Challenges.   

I did not use ribbon on these cards, I wanted them to be lighter and not as bulky.  I used yarn and a crocheted flower on these two.  For these I used Always On My Mind and  Blue Skies.  The sketch for the one of the left is from a Verve Challenge way back when and the one on the right is one of Amber's Viva la Verve sketches.

I used Always On My Mind and Blue Skies for these two also.  These sketches are from the Dirty Girl Challenges and a favorite of Mercy's sketches.  I hope you like my "Hero" project and take time out of your day to thank a hero in your life!

As with all of our project parades, there are prizes!!!!

1. Play along with us and link up your new My Hero creation (posted July 12th or later) to the linky widget on the DAY ONE parade post before midnight on July 30th. One lucky stamper will win a $30.00 gift certificate to the Verve Store. Verve Stamps are not required, but we LOVE to see ‘em!

2. For another chance to win, be sure to give the Divas a little shout-out in the comments section as we parade our My Hero creations. One lucky commenter during the course of the parade (July 12 ~ July 28) will win the Verve stamp set of his or her choosing!

October Project Parade - Day One

It's time for Verve's October Project Parade! This month's challenge is to use Embossing on your project. It can be either wet or dry embossing. . .or both! I am a HUGE fan of embossing. . .especially dry embossing with all of those Cuttlebug folders that make it so easy! I used the Friends Forever Cuttlebug folder for this card. I just LOVE those "wish" flowers. I paired them with a sentiment from Floral Whimsy, which is wet embossed. I added a little Dazzling Diamonds to the flowers for a little sparkle. Simple and quick!

We'd LOVE to see your embossed creations! Just upload your creation to this post by noon on Friday, October 24th. If you upload to SCS, please use the keyword VVPP07 so we don't miss your creations! A random participant will be drawn on October 25th to receive $15 in Verve Bucks to spend at the Verve Stamps store! Good luck and have fun!

August Project Parade - Day 9

Hi everyone! It's Michelle and I am posting my take on the August Project Parade. Woweeee, isn't this inspiration photo DA BOMB!?! When I first saw it, I squealed in delight. I love my coffee and these pink and brown yummy drinks made me run out to the closest Starbucks and place an order -LOL!

To get started on a layout, I looked at Julee's old Mojo sketches and went with Mojo43. In honor of the Grande Caramel Macchiato by my side, I wanted to stay with mostly browns with accents of pink and I chose to use the Floral Whimsy set. The base is chocolate chip with the next layer close to cocoa. To make the embossed lines on the bottom portion of the cocoa panel, I used my Fiskars trimmer with the score blade. I scored a line, then moved it 1/4" and repeated the entire way across. I don't have a Score-Pal, but this worked just fine! The white panel uses the Swiss Dots CB embossing folder. I dove into my yummy pink and brown Basic Grey Sultry 6x6 pack for the background panel and pieced the vase with it as well.

One of the things I love about Floral Whimsy are all the flower options. I needed a custom size of flowers and vase to fit inside my oval. With this set, I was able to chose the 'stems only' stamp and then chose my flower blooms to fit how I needed them. How great is that?!?

Don't forget you can win some Verve Bucks! Just upload your creation to this post no later than noon Friday (September 5th). If you upload to SCS, please use keyword VVPP05, so we can see all of your delicious creations! A random participant will be drawn on September 5th and receive $15 in Verve Bucks to spend at the Verve Stamps store! Can't wait to see what you come up with!

Card Deets:

Stamps: Floral Whimsy (Verve Stamps)

Paper: Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Pretty in Pink and Whisper White (SU!), Sultry DP (Basic Grey)

Ink: Close to Cocoa, Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip

Accessories: Swiss Dots folder, Treading Water punch, pink gems (Joanns), pink 1/4" grosgrain (SU!), Oval Nesties, dimensionals

Take Joy in the Little (ATC) Things

Well, here we are at the end of the parade! Have you enjoyed all the Artist Trading Cards? And then seeing them turned into cards? I, for one, love these little babes. They're kind of like Polly Pockets for stampers.

My ATC was inspired by JulieHRR's Dare to Get Dirty Challenge on Splitcoast last week, which was to make a clean, simple white card. I usually have trouble with clean+simple+white, but I really like how this ATC turned out. I made it out of watercolor paper. The embossed rectangle was done with a Nestability, and then I just did a light Soft Sky color wash inside the rectangle. I created the flower trio using stamps from Floral Whimsy, and the sentiment comes from Petals & Stems. Because the Nestability is a little narrower than the "official" ATC size, I added some paper piercing along the left. Simple and sweet.

And here's how it looks turned into a full card:



Now if you're reading this early enough on Thursday, you still have a wee bit o' time to get in on the challenge if you haven't already. At 12:00 pm (noon) Eastern Time today (July 31st) we'll be drawing two winners, one randomly drawn from all the entries, the other our favorite project using Verve stamps. Both winners will receive $15 in Verve Bucks. To enter, link up your ATC creation HERE.

Before I go, do you know what tomorrow is?! It's the first day of our much-anticipated Anni-VERVE-sary. It's all happening in the Verve Forum! Be there or be square ;)

Amazing ATC's

Haven't all the ATC's just been awesome! It's a tad tough to be bringing up the tail end after all the wonderful creations the design team has shared! But here's the thing...I love my little ATC card, it turned out so soft and pretty, so I'm more than happy to share it with you!!

I used Thankful Blossoms and the little tiny flowers are from Floral Whimsy. I really wanted to do a vine, so that's where this got started!

Now I had to make this into a card, it was just so sweet! I carried the vine through to the card since I was just so hyped about the vine...see the envelope? More vine...just too much fun!

Are you sold on ATC's now? They're a really fabulous way to try out an idea, and they work wonderfully into a card. Go ahead, give it a go. I could be worth $15.00 Verve Bucks! Check out this post for all the deets!

Stamps: Thankful Blossoms, Floral Whimsy

Paper: Whisper White, Pink Pirouette, Always Artichoke (SU) DP Basic Grey "Blush"

Ink: Always Artichoke, Pink Pirouette (SU), Versafine Onyx Black

Accessories: ticket corner punch, Crystal Stickles, light pink polka dot organdy ribbon )Dots Dashes and Checks, marker (to fill in dots of flower cluster), dimensionals, gold brads

Happy Monday!  As you may have noticed from the previous two posts, the Project Parade for this month is all about ATCs!  I love doing ATCs because it is so much fun to see how much creativity you can pack into such a small space.  When I started doing this ATC, I knew that I wanted to incorporate a lot of texture and depth.  To accomplish this goal I used several different products.  For the main panel, I cut and embossed a circle using Nestabilities dies.  I then stamped the floral image twice and colored and outlined it with Copic markers.  The butterfly is mounted on dimensionals and is colored with Copic markers and topped with Niji Pearlesent Watercolors (very fun product).  For the Kiwi Kiss panel, I embossed it with the Swiss Dots Cuttlebug embossing folder.  I then used the SU! Ticket Corner Punch on the corners, so that I could add brads.

 

Wanna win $15 to spend in the Verve Store? 

All you have to do to play in this Vervalicious challenge is create your own Artist Trading Card! Leave a comment with a link to your project on this post by 12:00 pm (noon) Eastern Time on July 31st, and you will be entered for a chance to win! Using Verve stamps is not a requirement, although it doubles your chance of winning. We will have two winners, one randomly drawn from a pool of all entries, the other will be selected as our favorite from all the projects using Verve stamps. Both winners will receive $15 in Verve Bucks. We will announce the winners later that day. If you upload to Splitcoast, please use the keyword VVPP04 so we can all see your creations!

Rounding Out the Parade

Oh my word! I have loved checking out all of the designers' samples for this month's project parade. And now I can't wait to see what you all have added to the mix. Don't forget, this is your last day (noon today) to enter a card for your shot at $15 in Verve Bucks. Get all the details and post a link to your entry here.

My inspiration came from the pattern in the quilt, as well as the curve of the nightstand leg. Doesn't this Nana's Nursery paper really mimic that quilt?

Stamps: Floral Whimsy (Verve Visual)

Paper: Pearlized White (Paper Accents); Nana's Nursery Baby Girl (DCWV); So Saffron, Basic Black (Stampin' Up!)

Ink: Onyx black (Versafine); Pretty in Pink, Sahara Sand (Stampin' Up!)

Accessories: paper piercer and template (Stampin' Up!); black Gelly Roll pen (Sakura); rhinestones; Forever Flowers #4 (Prima)

Now, here's one final "Thank You" to Carole for her get-to-know-you suggestion!

1. When/how did you get hooked on stamping? A friend of mine had a Stampin' Up! party back in 2002. I faded out for a little while, then Splitcoast, and especially the challenges, got me back in the groove.

2. How often do you stamp? Almost every day. If I don't have the time or the motivation, I don't push it. Unless of course I'm facing a deadline.

3. Tell me about your funniest or most embarrassing stamping related injury. It's not an injury. At least not to me, just my carpet. I run out of desk space one time and tried to heat emboss on the floor. Guess what? Carpet melts!

4. How long does it take you to create a project that you're happy with? Usually about an hour. Sometimes longer if things aren't working for me. I'm so envious of quick stampers. I do a lot of trial and error. Nothing gets glued down 'til it's all done.

5. I am usually a little messy in my creating. Tell me about your creative space. I have to be organized or I can't think straight. I make a mess while I'm creating but clean up as soon as I'm done. In fact, I tend to put everything away before the aforementioned final gluing. Sometimes I'll even have to stop half way through a card and put away everything I'm done with.

6. If you were stranded on a deserted island, which craft tool could you not live without? Why? Well, I guess brads. They're so easy to add and often give just the little bit extra you need.

7. What is your biggest source of inspiration? I love sketch challenges. But I also look to designer papers and advertising to name a few things.

8. Who in the stamping world do you want to be when you grow up and why? Ya know what? I love the work of so many people and learn from everyone, but I just want to be myself. I don't have to be the best. I stamp for enjoyment, and that works for me.

9. What is your favorite part of the creative process? I really like seeing the finished product. Like I said, my cards are a work in progress until the very end. I love gluing the pieces together and seeing that it all worked out.

Inspired Simplicity

I just have to start by saying how much I LOVE this month's Inspiration Piece!! However, it took me a while to actually pinpoint just exactly what it was that I loved so much about it. Was it the colors and patterns? Yes...but there was more to it than just that. It took me over a week before I finally figured out why I was so drawn to this piece. Red is my favorite color...and I love bold monochromatic patterns like the one on the comforter...but actually it was the overall "laid back simplicity" that I was so taken with. So, I was inspired to go in a direction I rarely go to in stamping...the simple side! LOL!


I chose three of the colors that really stood out to me and created simple monochromatic cards that can be used anytime (or even bundled in a gift). I achieved the bold white images on the colored cardstock by embossing the leaf (from the Serenity set) stamp in white. The white "ribbon" piece is actually a strip of white cardstock that I trimmed on one end to look like ribbon. :-)


What about this piece inspires you? Add a link to your creation in the comments section of THIS post and you could win $15 in Verve Bucks!










O.k....to the part I've been dreading. LOL! And for the record...yeah, it IS all Carole's fault!! Hee! So, in Carole's words...here's my "verve-iview"...


1. When/how did you get hooked on stamping?


I was first introduced to stamping at a Stampin' Up! home party 11 1/2 years ago. I've never been much of an "artsy or crafty" type person, but was immediately taken with this new hobby! I can honestly say that I've been "addicted" ever since! LOL!


2. How often do you stamp?


Almost daily. Every now and then I take a day "off"...but for the most part I usually manage to sneak a little stamping time in every day.


3. Tell me about your funniest or most embarrassing stamping related injury.


O.k...but this isn't to be repeated, o.k.??? LOL! Actually, I was in a scrapbook store when my "injury" happened. You see, I live so far away from...well, anything...and getting to craft or scrapbook stores is a very rare occasion! This might have been my second time in an actual store dedicated to all things scrapbooking/stamping and I probably was a bit giddy...because in my haste to check out the next aisle of treasures that I had to have, I tripped and fell into a display of embellishments! I guess in an ordinary store I would have turned the shade of a ripe tomato, but this was no ordinary store...and I was now on top of some of the prettiest embellishments ever!!! Needless to say, most of them ended up in my shopping basket! LOL!


4. How long does it take you to create a project that you're happy with?


Oh, this one varies. Sometimes, I can whip stuff out in under 30 minutes...and other times I can't finish anything in less than an hour. I tend to "try" my embellishments on (not me..but the card LOL!) and switch them around a few times before I'm happy.


5. I am usually a little messy in my creating. Tell me about your creative space.


During the creating process...my space looks like a tornado landed! I have a very small space, so it doesn't take much for it to be cluttered with "stuff". But, no matter how messy it is during my creating...I always clean it up when I'm done. In fact, I cannot start a new project until everything from the previous one is cleaned up and put away!


6. If you were stranded on a deserted island, which craft tool could you not live without?
Why?


This really isn't a good question for me! LOL! I don't like to be without the tools that I need/want. In fact, that is the reason I never go to crops or other "stamp away from home" events. I know, I know...it sounds crazy. I just never know what tool I'll need until I need it! Hee! I guess if I had to say which tool do I find myself reaching for most...I would have to say my sponges. I love to add shading to my cards!


7. What is your biggest source of inspiration?


I've already admitted my subconscious adoration of embellishments...so it won't come as any surprise to you when I tell you that most of the time, I design my cards around embellishments or patterned paper!! :-)


8. Who in the stamping world do you want to be when you grow up and why?


This is a tough one. There are SOOO many stampers I admire!! Ok...let's see. If I could be the "perfect stamper" I would want to color like Debbie Olson, create amazing and unique projects like Lauren Meader, and come up with wonderful one of a kind sketches like Tosha Leyendekker. A girl can dream, right?


9. What is your favorite part of the creative process?


I really enjoy coloring (even though I'm still in the learning phase)...but my favorite part is embellishing and adding ribbon! Shocking, huh? :-) My least favorite part is cutting all the various layers. I'm a perfectionist (big time), and if my layers aren't exact and straight, I will cut and re-cut until they are perfect. I try to let stuff slide...but I just can't let it go! LOL!


So, that is probably more about me than you ever wanted to know!! :-)


Make sure to stop back by tomorrow and see Susan's inspired creation! ~Laurie


Recipe
Stamps: Serenity, Floral Whimsy
Paper: Whisper White, Real Red, Wild Wasabi, So Saffron (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Real Red, Wild Wasabi, So Saffron (Stampin' Up!), Versamark
Accessories: Clear e.p., White e.p., Oval Nestabilities, White brads

Inspired Whimsy

I was just lovin' the inspiration piece from the Pottery Barn. Here's my take on it; reds, yellows with a sectional and linear design...I love the way it translated to paper!

Now, this month, Carole, fellow Verve designer, challenged the Verve Design Team to answer the same questions put to the Verve Guest Designers. Ok...so you really want to know?

1. When/how did you get hooked on stamping? I scrapbooked for many years and I don't suppose I really got "hooked" on stamping until last spring when I started trying the Splitcoast weekly challenges, and last summer when I started posting them. Until then, stamping took a backburner to scrapbooking, and now I can definitely say the trend has reversed.

2. How often do you stamp? I would love to stamp every day, and occasionally I do. But for sure 4-5 times a week.

3. Tell me about your funniest or most embarrassing stamping related injury. I was exchanging the blade of my Fiskars trimmer for the scoring blade and poked my finger. Honestly it hardly hurt, but it wouldn't stop bleeding, and of course it happened right in the middle of a class I was teaching. Definitely a "what not to do" lesson!

4. How long does it take you to create a project that you're happy with? I'm a slow stamper, so it usually takes 1 or 2 hours. I have to try every possible embellishment and then some. Although some days I can bang out about 4 cards if everything is working...you just never know.

5. I am usually a little messy in my creating. Tell me about your creative space. I am very messy too! At least while in the midst of a project. However, I am fanatical about putting everything away after every stamping session, so I start fresh the next day.

6. If you were stranded on a deserted island, which craft tool could you not live without? Why? I would definitely want my punches. I use at least one on every card; they are so versatile and easy to use! Can I count them collectively as one item? Next, I would have to say my paper piercer...I use that one a lot.

7. What is your biggest source of inspiration? Blogs. I love peeking in at my favorite artist's works. There are so many amazing stampers, and every blog I visit makes me think why didn't I think of that, or I want that!

8. Who in the stamping world do you want to be when you grow up and why? Hmm....there are so many fabulous stampers; Lauren Meader amazes me with her ability to do WOW so creatively; Beate Johns puts paper and ink together so fabulously, and Debbie Olsen just has a way with WOW! I guess when I grow up I will have a severe split personality disorder!

9. What is your favorite part of the creative process? Embellishing. I love simple, but I love embellishments more! Gems, stickles, hardware, ribbon....really, it would simply be no fun without them!

Well now you know more about me than you probably ever wanted to! Did it get you thinking about how you would answer the questions? Well, I hope right now your favorite source of inspiration the fabulous Pottery Barn ensemble in the post below! It could just win you $15 Verve bucks! All you have to do is play in this Vervalicious challenge with us! Leave a comment with a link to your project on this post by 12:00 pm (noon) Eastern Time on June 21st, and you will be entered for a chance to win! Using Verve stamps is not a requirement, although it doubles your chance of winning.

We will have two winners, one randomly drawn from a pool of all entries, the other will be selected as our favorite from all the projects using Verve stamps. Both winners will receive $15 in Verve Bucks. We will announce the winners later that day.

So, it's time to get inspired! Use the photo to let your creativity soar. There are no guidelines - take your inspiration from the images, designs, patterns, colors - whatever strikes your fancy! If you upload to Splitcoast, please use the keyword VVPP03 so we can all see your creations!

Recipe: Stamps: Floral Whimsy

Paper: Whisper White, Real Red, Basic Black

Ink: Real Red, So Saffron, Regal Rose, Versafine Onyx Black

Accessories: 1 1/4" & 1 3/8" square punches, striped grosgrain ribbon, dimensionals, Stardust stickles

Another Month...Another Challenge!

Happy Monday! The Verve Divas have cooked up another challenge for you...this time it's an inspiration challenge! Amy Westerman found this fantastic photo from Pottery barn - isn't it awesome? We have a fun few weeks coming up for you...make sure you read all the way to the bottom of this post to find out how to win $15 in Verve Bucks to spend at the Verve Store.

Here's my sample:

I found this awesome patterned paper in my Christmas stash and quilted it with my sewing machine. A little punch of color from the Prima flowers added the perfect finishing touch!

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So, how would you like to get to know the Design Team a little better? Carole had an awesome idea for our Project Parade...all of the Verve Divas will be answering the questions that we send our Guest Designers! So stay tuned to find out everything you wanted to know about your favorite Divas! Here are my answers.

1. When/how did you get hooked on stamping? My friend Peyton gave me a stamped tile coaster 2 years ago, and I decided they would be a great thing to give as gifts. I spent two hours staring at stamps and ink that day at Hobby Lobby...and the rest is history.

2. How often do you stamp? I try to stamp every day, but I'm not always successful. At least 3-4 times a week!

3. Tell me about your funniest or most embarrassing stamping related injury. The day after a stamping marathon, I had the worst pain between two of my toes. I assumed it was an ant bite, and went on with my business. Later that night I took a look...there was Tacky Tape between my toes!! OUCH!

4. How long does it take you to create a project that you're happy with? Usually it takes me at least an hour, sometimes two to make something I like. I tend to hem & haw...

5. I am usually a little messy in my creating. Tell me about your creative space. I subscribe to the theory that everything needs to be out where I can see it. I usually have a path from the door to my table, and that's about it. On the table I have about a 6"x6" square area that doesn't have "stuff" on it.

6. If you were stranded on a deserted island, which craft tool could you not live without? Why? Hmmm, I think it would be my paper piercer. I use it on almost every project, and it might come in handy if I needed to protect myself. *grin*

7. What is your biggest source of inspiration? Everything around me is a source of inspiration. I look for color combos in clothing stores, layouts in displays, magazine ads, and billboards. It's everywhere!

8. Who in the stamping world do you want to be when you grow up and why? Those of you that read my blog know the answer to this one...I totally want to be Anna Wight when I grow up! Her watercoloring skills amaze me, not to mention her photography, illustrations, and design talent.

9. What is your favorite part of the creative process? Definitely color. I love choosing my color combo, coloring line images, and just having fun with it!

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Ok, if you stuck with me through that, you deserve to know how to win $15 in Verve Bucks!! All you have to do is play in this Vervalicious challenge with us! Leave a comment with a link to your project on this post by 12:00 pm (noon) Eastern Time on June 21st, and you will be entered for a chance to win! Using Verve stamps is not a requirement, although it doubles your chance of winning. We will have two winners, one randomly drawn from a pool of all entries, the other will be selected as our favorite from all the projects using Verve stamps. Both winners will receive $15 in Verve Bucks. We will announce the winners later that day.

So, it's time to get inspired! Use the photo to let your creativity soar. There are no guidelines - take your inspiration from the images, designs, patterns, colors - whatever strikes your fancy! If you upload to Splitcoast, please use the keyword VVPP03 so we can all see your creations!

Please Welcome May & June's Guest Designer!

I am soooo thrilled to introduce Natasha Trupp (aka tashers) as the Verve Visual Guest Designer for May and June! I had the priviledge of meeting her at CHA in February, and she is just a sweetheart. I am such a big fan of her work, and when I saw her samples for this month's release, I was droolin! You can see more of her work on her blog, Palmtrees and Pogosticks.

Here are some fun questions I sent to Natasha so we could all get to know her better, and here is what she had to say!

1. When/how did you get hooked on stamping? I guess I really became hooked the autumn of 2004. It started out with that one little catalog. I poured over it daily, making wishlist after wishlist. Shortly after I found SCS, then I started making sketches on any scrap paper I could find and continually adding to my "resources" (aka more stamps! etc).

2. How often do you stamp? I try to do a little every day. If I don't get the chance during the work week, then I try to have a mini stamp fest on the weekend.


3. Tell me about your funniest or most embarassing stamping related injury. Even though I'm quite clumsy, I haven't given myself any really entertaining injuries. The most common one is with the ribbon scissors and my thumb. I never put that much force into cutting, so it's never been more than a bit of broken skin on either side of my thumb. Tip: always look at what your cutting, and be sure to move any digits out of the way!


4. How long does it take you to create a project that you're happy with? It can take anywhere from 10 minutes to 2 hours. It depends on the look I'm going for.

5. I am usually a little messy in my creating. Tell me about your creative space. My creative space, despite my best efforts and monthly clean-ups, is a disaster. I like to have everything at an arm's reach away, but there just aren't enough convenient storage spaces. So I keep storing stuff on my table
top, and what once was a table that could easily sit 4 people, now only has my 18x12 inches of workspace, plus a whole lot of stuff.


6. If you were stranded on a deserted island, which craft tool could you not live without? Why? Hmm, it's a toss up between an embossing gun (and an electric source, of course) and a crop-a-dile. I absolutely love the effect of embossing, it can really add that little extra something to your project. The crop-a-dile just does so much, it's easy on my hands, it's quiet, and I'm sure it could come in handy on that island ;)


7. What is your biggest source of inspiration? My biggest source of inspiration are sketches, any kind of sketches. I take down sketches from cards I have seen from other stampers, from manufactured cards, weekly
challenges, advertisements, scrapbook pages, anything. I cannot get enough of them. Whenever you are stuck, they can really guide you to a nice finished product. I've finally started keeping a serious "sketches" book. They're all in one place, and it's growing quickly!

8. Who in the stamping world do you want to be when you grow up and why? I have always found myself leaning towards Valerie Stangle's projects. When I first joined SCS, her cards always caught my eye. I love her style, the colour palettes she uses, and the way she uses patterned papers on her projects. It's just always perfection!


9. What is your favorite part of the creative process? My favorite part is the planning- deciding on a layout, deciding what colours I'll use, what kind embellishments will work, that sort of thing, and then after the planning, seeing it all come together. There's nothing better than having an idea on your mind, and being able to bring that idea to life exactly how you wanted!



I have shown you some of my favorite projects that Natasha sent. To see them all, visit her Verve Gallery!

Flowers Are Our Constant Friend

Like some other of my fellow Verve DT members have mentioned in their posts, this color challenge just screams SUMMER to me. I love how they flow, yet also have wonderful contrast. I usually do not use so many colors in a card unless I am incorporating patterned paper, but I was actually **excited** when I saw all these colors together, just like I get **excited** about summer. When it came to the actual design, I knew immediately that I wanted to do color blocking and use black to make the squares "pop."


I used the individual flowers from the Floral Whimsy to essentially create pattern paper to use for the blocks. By using the same color ink as the paper I created a subtle pattern that is not overpowering. For the focal point, I stamped one of the sentiments in black and then outlined the word "Flowers" with a gray Copic marker. It is mounted on a Certainly Celery mat and then popped up on glue dots on top of a scallop square. For my finishing touches I added the small butterfly, which I colored in green with Copics. I also put brads in the corners. The funny thing is, I meant to use the SU! ticket corner punch in the corners and then add the brads. But, I got on a roll with gluing all the squares together and completely forgot about it...OOPS! LOL!

As a reminder: To win $15 in Verve Bucks is easy! Just make a card, layout, or other project using the color challenge and link us up on this post before Midnight (Mountain time) on May 31st. If you have any Verve Visual stamps, please use them, but it's not a requirement. The winner will receive a $15 shopping spree at the Verve store. What could be better than that?! And if you upload to Splitcoast, make sure you use the keyword VVPP02 so we can all see your Vervalicious creations!

Happy Summer Birthdays!

Summertime, summertime, sum-sum-summertime!! Just makes you want a big ol' glass of lemonade just singing the little song! I just thought for this challenge, I would make a summertime birthday card. HERE is a little reminder of the colors Shannan picked for us to use--just screams summer doesn't it? Is it getting hot where you are? For this card, I knew I wanted to use Soft Sky as my base and black as my neutral color. I just began adding layers for an extra base layer to have as the backdrop for my main image. I used Floral Whimsy and colored in the vase with an aquapainter and ink from the lid of my inkpad. I stamped the flowers to match the color palette and since I don't own the Cameo Coral inkpad, I decided to stamp the flower in black onto the Cameo Coral paper and just cut it out and pop it with a black brad. I then "fluffed up" the petals for a three-dimensional look. I did the same for the little decorative flower on the vase itself, but just glued it down (a brad would have been too big). I colored the other flowers and the "grounding" below the vase with Copic markers (the few I own happened to match-yay!). Lastly, I added the black and white gingham ribbon and stamped the Happy Birthday sentiment from the Fancy Florals set. It just seemed to match the "feel" and the mismatched fonts of the cuttlebugged piece of this card so well! So if you have a summer birthday, Happy Birthday from me, Susan!!!

As a reminder: To win $15 in Verve Bucks is easy! Just make a card, layout, or other project using the color challenge and link us up on this post before Midnight (Mountain time) on May 31st. If you have any Verve Visual stamps, please use them, but it's not a requirement. The winner will receive a $15 shopping spree at the Verve store. What could be better than that?! And if you upload to Splitcoast, make sure you use the keyword VVPP02 so we can all see your Vervalicious creations!

Stamps: Floral Whimsy, Fancy Florals (Verve Visual)
Paper: Soft Sky, So Saffron, Cameo Coral, Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black (SU!), Papertrey White
Ink: Palette Noir (Superior), Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, So Saffron
Accessories: Aqua Pen, Copic Markers, Black Brad, Dimensionals, Scallop Scissors, Cuttlebug Happy Birthday, B/W Gingham Ribbon

Summertime...

I just love these colors used for the latest Verve challenge. Perfect as I anticipate the return of warmer weather.

I started with four squares, one in each of the colors. I taped them all together on the backs, and stamped with flowers in Versamark. (Hard to see in pic.) Next I stamped the top panel on shimmery white and colored with the appropriate markers, including a Copic for the blue. Pierce a row beneath that panel. Top it off with a sentiment on Cuttlebug's flower die and a Martha butterfly punch, decorated with dots from the stamp set. I also highlighted a few things with Star Dust Stickles.

Now it's your turn. Check out the contest details here, then get your Verve on!

Stamps: Floral Whimsy, Uplifting Phrases (Verve Visual)
Paper: so saffron, pumpkin pie, cameo coral, soft sky (Stampin' Up); shimmery white (Paper Accents)
Ink: black (Versafine); Versamark; cameo coral, pumpkin pie, old olive, so saffron (SU markers); B00 (Copic marker)
Accessories: ribbon (American Crafts); butterfly punch (Martha Stewart); 1 inch circle punch (EK Success); flower die (Cuttlebug); Star Dust Stickles; paper piercer and template (SU)

Simple Pleasures

So, are you loving this color challenge? We hope so! We'd LOVE to see your creations using this color combination and who wouldn't want to win $15 in Verve bucks? Be sure and leave a comment linking to your creation on this post before Midnight (Mountain time) on May 31st. If you have any Verve Visual stamps, please use them, but it's not a requirement. The winner will receive a $15 shopping spree at the Verve store. If you upload to Splitcoast, make sure you use the keyword VVPP02 so we can all see your creations!

For my card, I used the butterflies from Fluttering By and Petals & Stems, and a sentiment from Floral Whimsy. The large butterfly was stamped twice, once on the white cardstock and once on vellum. The vellum butterfly is dotted with glitter. Keep checking back for more inspiration from the rest of the Design Team! You won't want to miss Laura's creation tomorrow!

SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Fluttering By, Floral Whimsy, Petals & Stems (Verve Visual); Paper- So Saffron, Pumpkin Pie, Soft Sky, Regal Rose (SU), white (Georgia-Pacific), patterned (DCWV)vellum; Ink- Onyx Black (Versafine), Pumpkin Pie, Regal Rose, So Saffron (SU); Accessories- Regal Rose wide grosgrain, Dazzling Diamonds glitter (SU), scallop border punch (Martha Stewart)

Floral Whimsy Sneak Preview and Chance to Win!

Here is a sneak preview of one of the four sets Verve Visual is releasing on Friday, May 16th. It's called Floral Whimsy and is a set of 29!!!!! Be sure and check back tomorrow for a preview of another one of the sets!

From Amy Westerman

Verve Visual’s newest set called Floral Whimsy just screamed “paper piecing” to me! And of course, when I work with flowers on a card I usually choose to go bright. So, that’s the direction I took when I started creating my card for today’s sneak peek.

You can’t get much brighter than yellow, pink, and teal, can you? The best thing you can do when you make a card using bright colors is to add black to the mix. It is the perfect color to make all the rest of your bright colors pop off the card. Actually, black is the total absence of color, so it doesn’t compete with the other colors you’ve chosen, it only enhances them. You don’t need a lot of it, just a little bit goes a long way.

I chose a card base of Summer Sun cardstock and then laid a piece of black and white designer paper matted with Rose Red cardstock on top of the Summer Sun base. On top of the black I chose to use a bright colored designer paper (K & Co./Berry Collection) matted with Summer Sun cardstock. For the main image, I stamped one of the vases from the Floral Whimsy collection directly onto a piece of coordinating designer paper and cut it out. Then I stamped one of the four different floral stem images included in the set onto a piece of Whisper White cardstock. Before I placed my cut vase onto the Whisper White cardstock, I stamped a shadow first to “ground” it (it was stamped with So Saffron). Then I adhered the vase to the cardstock using dimensional tape.

The great thing about this new set is that you can color your flowers with markers or, if you wanted to, you can even paper piece them. You can see that I paper-pieced the largest flower in the bunch with the same paper that I used for the vase. For the other flowers in the image, I colored them with my Copics. The options are limitless with Floral Whimsy! I think I’ve only just touched the surface of everything I can do with it. The set has a total of 29 pieces (!!!!!), which includes three different sentiments, four floral groupings, and countless individual flowers for you to do with whatever you choose! It’s a set that doesn’t limit your options! You are definitely going to want to add this new set to your collection!

From Laura Fredrickson:

You know I just love flowers! I love them in the garden, in a vase or in a stamp set, so Floral Whimsy was in my heart the moment I saw it! Although fun and whimsical as it's name suggest, it has a sensitive and beautiful side too.

The vase was inked in More Mustard then rocked and rolled in Ruby Red and stamped on vanilla card stock. The rock and roll technique produced a very unique effect with the acrylic stamps. I used markers to ink up the stems and flowers direct to stamp, and added some more colour to the blooms using the aqua painter, as well as some shading in a light grey to give the image some depth. Copper stickles were added to the flower centers for little added sparkle, and the edges of the panel were sponged to add focus and colour before mounting it on More Mustard, Ruby Red then Chocolate Chip card stocks.

The base of the card is More Mustard, and the designer papers are from Basic Grey "Sublime" and SU "Ginger Blossom". Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon is tied around the width of the card, and three copper brads positioned below the knot. The sentiment is stamped in Basic Black on a light yellow vellum then cut into a circle and placed at the upper right intersection to finish the card. Although spring has just arrived, it's nice to know this set will take you through the year with just a subtle change in colours!

From Shannan Teubner:

I made this card the day this set arrived at my doorstep...my fingers were just itching to ink it up! My favorite part has to be the quote - it still gives me chills when I see it! This card just kind of came together on its own. Don't you love it when that happens?

From Charmaine Ikach:

I think the recent warm, sunny days have inspired me to create cards that are clean and simple. I've been using more "white space" lately and Floral Whimsy fit perfectly into this phase I'm going through. I simply stamped the stems and flowers in Wild Wasabi, Ruby Red and Summer Sun and colored in the flowers with Copic markers. Then I added some Stickles to the centers of the flowers for some sparkle. The butterfly was stamped in Summer Sun on vellum and cut out and mounted to the card. I thought the gingham ribbon would compliment the sentiment stamped in black. All in all, a quick and simple card.

Want to be the proud owner of this new set? All you need to do is leave a comment on this post with the answer to the following question by 10PM MT (midnight ET) on May 15. Then be sure to check back on May 16, when we’ll announce the lucky winner and reveal the new Verve sets!

Your question: Which is your FAVORITE Verve Visual set so far?